The present invention relates to a battery holder and, more particularly to a holder for a battery for attachment to a circuit board, for example, in a desk top computer.
Battery holders have been employed in the past for holding various forms of batteries, such as back up batteries for real time clocks in desk top computers. These batteries are typically 1/2 AA batteries and the battery holder is installed on the main or other circuit boards of the computer by terminal tails which are inserted into the circuit boards and soldered to the appropriate electrical circuit of the boards.
Prior battery holders have suffered several disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the holder has typically been of two piece construction, including a housing base in which the battery is inserted and a housing cover which snaps over the housing base to hold the battery in the housing base against removal. Because these holders are two piece, they are more complex to assemble, require the manufacture and inventory of both pieces which are of a different structural configuration from each other due to their distinct functions, consume more material in their manufacture and add weight to the installation in which they are installed.
Another disadvantage of the prior battery holders is that the terminal contact fingers for contacting the ends of the battery have generally not been configured to perform any battery holddown function, but simply bear against the battery ends to transmit current to the circuit board from the battery. Moreover, due to the configuration of the terminal contacts, any attempt to utilize the terminal contacts to retain the battery has resulted in the insertion of the battery in the housing being more difficult.
A battery holder incorporating the principles of the present invention overcomes these several disadvantages. A battery holder of the present invention eliminates the need for the housing cover and, thus, is one piece in construction so as to overcome most if not all of the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior two piece constructions. In a battery holder incorporating the principles of the present invention, insertion of the battery into the holder is simple and, once inserted, the battery is held against removal from the housing by the one piece housing itself and one or more of its terminal contacts, thus eliminating the need for the housing cover. Moreover, the force needed to insert the battery into the housing of the present invention is substantially reduced from those experienced in the prior art housings. Furthermore, once the battery has been installed in the housing, at least one of the terminal contacts not only functions to electrically couple the battery to its circuit as in the prior art, but also to latch an end of the battery against removal from the housing.
In one principal aspect of the present invention, a holder for holding a battery comprises a housing including an elongate base having a width, and also having a length the latter of which is longer than the length of the battery which is to be held. A pair of housing end walls are formed integrally with the base one at each end of the length of the base, the end walls extending upwardly from the base and spaced from each other so as to define an elongate space between the end walls which is at least about as long as the length of the battery which is to be held to permit insertion of the battery between the end walls. A portion of at least one of the end walls which faces the space has a recess which is configured to receive an end of the battery therein and overlie that end of the battery when the battery is inserted into the housing to hold the battery against removal from the housing. A pair of terminal contacts one adjacent each of the end walls is positioned for electrically contacting the ends of the battery when it is inserted in the housing, at least one of the contacts being resilient and positioned to resiliently bias the end of the battery into the recess in the one end wall. A terminal tail is electrically coupled to each of the terminal contacts and extends from and beneath the base to electrically couple the terminal contacts to a circuit board.
In another principal aspect of the present invention, each of the end walls comprises a pair of projections extending upwardly from the base and spaced from each other in the direction of the width of the base to define a space therebetween, and the terminal contacts are positioned adjacent that space between the projections.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the one end wall having the recess therein is longer in the direction of the length of the base than the length of the other end wall in that direction.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the one end wall having the recess therein is configured to receive the negative end of the battery to be held.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the resilient contact includes a latching projection which is positioned to be biased toward the end of the housing at which it is located by the battery as the battery is being inserted into the housing and to move into overlying relationship to at least a portion of the battery when the battery is fully inserted in the housing to hold the battery against removal from the housing.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the housing is one piece, and the recess and latching projection hold the respective ends of the battery when it is positioned in the housing against removal from the housing.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, both of the terminal contacts are resilient.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the terminal tails are formed integrally with their respective terminal contacts.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.